Introduction: drawing a new circle -- The wilde-er side of life -- Accomplices in murder -- "I don't like murderers" -- Little deaths -- "The time to make up your mind about people is never" -- "But may I trust you?" -- Silence and stasis -- Talking vs. living -- Two things to ponder -- The dark side of the moon -- Scottie's dream, Judy's plan, Madeleine's revenge -- Never again? -- A loveless world -- Birds of a feather -- A mother's love -- Every story has an ending -- Conclusion: Emerson, film, Hitchcock.